Land of Tea… Ouza Island… Nakayama Estates… Sunrise Twilight…
Midori sat crossed legged, meditating on her new charges. Her fingers stretched out to pick up the latent nature chakra that surrounded her. One half of her mind focused on the soft snores of the demon-witch child currently cocooned in a wrap of blankets in the moldering ruin of a mansion. The other half, dedicated to figuring out how to train her new 'students'.
The demon-witch child, so named Ki, couldn't be trained like a Silent, Midori had decided. The Silent, due to some deformity or mutation in either their chakra coils or paths meant they couldn't use chakra like samurai or shinobi. This made them difficult to detect even by the most sensitive of sensors. As it is like trying to detect a pigeon or rat. Technically possible, but a daunting task, physically and mentally.
They are often cultivated by the greater hidden villages as disposable nigh-untraceable assets. Trained from birth, the Silent possessed physical and mental capabilities bordering on their chakra enhanced peers. With stealth unparalleled among Shinobi, they were masters of disguise and subterfuge. Positioned years in advance in roles stretching from servants to traveling intrepid merchants to vagabonds in the street.
Even so without Chakra the Silent's stamina was severely curtailed making them useful for covert operations where surprise and near undetectability by sensor nins counted more than a drawn out fight. Naturally, their biggest weaknesses were ninjutsu and genjutsu. With no chakra abilities to avoid, defeat or defend against a giant fireball or a subtle illusion, they were an easy target for even the most lowly chunin.
By Midori's estimation, the child couldn't even be affected directly by fuinjutsu, kekkei genkai, genjutsu or ninjutsu. Together with her chakra draining, both on contact and in a 1 meter radius around her, the effect of kenjutsu, kinjutsu, or taijutsu would be variably diminished. Whether or not the child could be affected by outer or indirect methods such as unleashing a torrent of water from a water scroll or shrapnel from paper explosive were still to be seen. These were important considerations. Considering the council had a vague idea that they wished to train the child so that it could go ideally against the Yondaime Mizukage.
Nevertheless, the village simply did not have decades to train the child to be a Silent nor did Ochagakure have training material in order to accomplish which. It was still imperative that she get the child in shape of course. If the child had been more skilled, be that in knowledge of martial arts, physicality or mental preparedness, Midori didn't doubt the child could have evaded her or defeated her. The child had the element of surprise, preparation of the heist and familiarity of home territory. If replicated against less skilled shinobi, the effect would be devastating.
That left the demon-witch child immensely resilient against a single opponent. Against multiple shinobi though? That was harder to definitely say. For the moment, the child simply didn't have the chakra enhanced reflexes to avoid multiple attacks happening simultaneously at multiple different angles of attack. Once the attacking shinobi figured out her trick as it were, they could pin her down and overwhelm through sheer numbers or well-timed maneuvers. Sage, a charge of samurai, bandits or worse comes to worse fuel air bombs would and could still kill her. It was unlikely that any shinobi, samurai, or civilian self-defense training would be adequate for the child; even more regrettable she couldn't be trained as a blade monk, Midori mused.
No, that couldn't possibly work Midori tried to assure herself. Or could it, she considered. Most monks were little more than ninjas that dedicated themselves toward the spiritual and mystical elements of ninshu and the teaching of the Sage. Most.
There were however, blade monks that abstained from that. Instead dedicating themselves to the fundamental advancement of understanding the universe through strict abstinence and physical training to achieve some sort of universal ken. The blade terminology of their moniker being literal and figurative. As they used their blades to both to defend themselves and as themselves being blades to pierce the heavenly shroud that prevented them learning universal truths.
Midori had encountered these monks a few times in her travels. Often one part riddler, one part goze, and three parts literal living weapons. Their skill attested to being able ward off more than a few bandits, nukenins and ronin that may have seen them as ripe pickings. Training the child in the same techniques or emulating them could be a worthwhile study. As these monks often went without chakra as if to find what was underneath the underneath. Whatever that meant. Midori was getting far ahead of herself. She would need to get the girl to cooperate first.
To put it bluntly, the demon-witch child hated ninjas. The girl admitted as much. Considering that she quite vocally proclaimed that she stole from those ninja as a way to get back at the larger gestalt of ninja responsible for her father's death was childish and frankly ineffective, Midori thought. Be that as it may, Midori could still use that drive for revenge for Ochagakure's needs. While she already soured the child's opinion of her with blunt words, threats and violence. She could dangle the key to the child's goals, motivating her path of revenge toward whatever the village needed at that moment.
Putting it all together, Midori would need to start heavy physical endurance and strength training for the child. Her uncle would need to source a blade monk. And she would need to make an argument that connected the training the child was to undertake would allow her to kill ninja. Specifically those responsible for her father's death.
Satisfied with a semblance of a plan in place, Midori's thoughts turned to her other students. One Yuduru Daiki and one Toki Rin. Those two were in her estimation, showed promise. During their impromptu 'adventure' to look at the 'monster'. They gathered intelligence, concocted a plan in place with the intelligence they had, and when confronted against a superior foe, retreated. Maybe their retreat was ineffective. Still, these were solid tactics of intelligence gathering nins. The problem they had though was related to their clan techniques.
Yuduru Daiki according to the records has been unable to release his clan's kekkei genkai, the Boil Release. A powerful technique for both utility and combat. As few opponents can survive being boiled alive. A messy outcome that few would choose willingly. It was also a key component of Ochagakure's chakra tea ceremony, as only Yuduru's Boil release can bring out the alluring flavor Chamei kekkei genkai; Plant Release Sage Tea. Plus, it was nice to have a teammate to make a hot bath on demand. Especially out in the field.
Due to his impotence, he was nearly kicked out of his clan. His prodigal sister, Yuduru Hotaru, had other plans. Right before the clan vote to decide Daiki's fate, she stormed in threatening to leave the betrothal that the clan had set up with Sadao, of the Enomoto shinobi family; if the clan proceeded with this vote. Left with little choice in a marriage they desperately craved, the clan voted to keep him. So, that's where he languished. Racking up D missions with his other 'failure', Toki Rin.
Toki Rin was the inverse of Yuduru Daiki. He was obsessed to the extreme. Whereas Daiki had given up, Rin often practiced his clan techniques weeks on end with little break, even during D missions. He was dedicated to his Pottery Release craft, to the degree that he had been hospitalized thirty-seven times for chakra exhaustion in the last year. Yet for all his effort, he lacked the ability to shape the pottery release to the precision and control that his peers were able to accomplish. Didn't help matters that he was born to a pair of highly competitive jonin parents that didn't want their first born to be a failure.
Didn't help matters that his various creations looked like art sculptures that came out of the Land of Rain. Midori did consider that someone should mention to the kid that the village has been selling some of his creations to a particular set of collectors out in the Land of Bears. The work of a failed prodigy always seems to excite the interest of the most eccentric and esoteric of collectors. If the Toki Jun-sama didn't have so much a tanto up his ass about the pedigree of his clan's pottery form and art, the clan could have been milking Rin all the way till the spirits came home.
The honest truth was the secret for the two was simple. They needed diversity free from prejudice. Daiki would need to start training himself to become a ninja again. As D ranked missions are merely whatever menial jobs that the village couldn't subcontract to civilians. Rin would need to start focusing on other areas except his clan techniques. They would never be involved in lucrative chakra tea ceremonies. That was fine. There were plenty of bandit contracts, garrison missions and protection details with their names on them.
Plus, they would need to be both guards and team mates of the demon-witch child. A heady combination that would fuck with their heads more than it what was already occurring. If the child ever turned against the village, well, her team would be there to end it. Even if I have to do it alone.
The sounds of the child getting up from her futon broke Midori from her trance. The rippling of blankets. The morning groans. The creaking of rotten floor boards. The splash of water in a basin. Underlying prayers to dead gods. Curses involving variations of Midori's name. Told Midori this was going to be a long day.
Land of Tea... Ouza Island... Hakaha Bamboo Forests... Sunrise…
Daiki felt a large sharp pain on his skull, as he felt his sister pounded his head in again. For no apparent reason. "Nee-chan! What was that for?" Daiki said, rubbing his head.
His sister in her ANBU teal and grey attire rubbed her forehead. For the moment her mask, a complex geometry of black lines and angles that looked more like a zen garden, lay on her belt. "Sorry, reflex." She said in the way of an apology.
Daiki twirled his eyes in mock disbelief, "Yeah, reflex. I bet it has nothing to do with the current situation at all." Daiki shook his head.
The current situation. Him and Rin-san being trained under the Jonin that beat the utter shit out of them for being possible spies, no more than 2 days before, would be their new sensai. Daiki didn't know whether to weep or celebrate this newest development in his failure of a life. "But look on the bright side. I won't be so much of a burden to you, Oto-san, Okaa-san anymore."
Nee-chan sighed and stopped in the middle of the dirt path they were on to their destination; Nakayama Estates. She grabbed hold of his shoulder, her eyes staring down into his. "You've never been a burden, daiki-chan. Anyone that says you are, you have my permission to beat the utter shit out of." His sister gave him a thumbs up and a smile.
Daiki grimaced. His sister thought that telling him would magically fix it? Please, if everything was solved by nee-chan talking about it, Ochagakure would be a great hidden village in no time at all. "It's easy for you to say nee-chan." Daiki turned his back to his sister, and stared off to their destination. "The problem is I can't very well beat myself up if I'm the one that feels I've been a burden, can I?"
Daiki could see in the corner of his eyes, Nee-chan's smile faltered, her eyes darting away from him with a look of guilt exploding across her face. They walked in stilted silence for several more minutes. Daiki could see her opening and closing her mouth throughout. Daiki could even hear her shifting her jaw and grinding her teeth from the apparent rumination of what he just admitted to her. Great, now I made Nee-chan feel guilty for my failure and burden. Daiki thought bitterly.
"Look." Daiki began, "Considering where the direction of my…" Daiki struggled with the word. "... career had been going up to this point. This may be a sign that things are changing for the better." The argument hung in the air, it's contents primed and delivered.
Then his sister giggled. A sound quite unlike the tomboy kunoichi that Daiki was used too. One that would so much as stab anyone that made so much as an innocent pass at her. A sound that likely meant his imminent demise.
"Daiki-chan, you're only thirteen years old. You don't have a career. Where did you find that word huh? Did oto-san drop that word in front of you? It simply doesn't suit." His sister remarked, flicking her finger against his exposed forehead.
The previous tension relaxed to a degree, though even Daiki could sense some unease from his sister. Nothing from her facial expressions which were feigning girlish delight or her relaxed body movements. If Daiki had to put a finger on it, it would be negative chakra. If such a thing existed.
"Still, you don't know much about Chamei Midori do you?" His sister said, with as much feigned casualness as a lord about to hand out a death sentence to a wanted bandit king.
Daiki shrugged nervously. "Besides that she tore us to pieces in ten seconds flat. I can't say that I do."
His sister nodded, ""Me and Midori, have quite a bit of history between us. See, she, I and Toki Minoru used to be a genin team under the late Jonin Endo Osamu." His sister said with an underlying note of danger in her voice.
Daiki swallowed, "Oh, so you were teammates?"
His sister laughed. It was a hollow laugh. "In an official sense, yes. In a general sense that you're my second family and I would sacrifice my life for you? Sage, no."
Daiki knew enough about his sister to know that she was a prodigy, one of the best in the clan in almost two generations. With her incredibly powerful variation of the Boil release, the scald release, she was often used as a bodyguard for the Tea daimyo, as a hunter-nin or on retainment by the village as a ready reserve. He didn't even know that she was on the same team with the Winter Owl and the Shaperate, Endo Osamu and Toki Minoru respectively.
All the prodigies grouped into one squad. How convenient. But what better way to train a prodigy than another prodigy. Daiki thought to himself.
Daiki tried to steel himself for the next question, hoping not to be punted into next week because nee-chan lost her temper and attacked the nearest target. Him. "So, would that mean you've had bad blood with her? Is this why you're against this? Because of something that happened years ago?"
Nee-chan glanced at him, her voice now as quiet as a wind through grass "Bad blood would be the wrong word, Daiki-chan. More like she tried to kill me, and I haven't forgiven that."
Nee-chan stopped walking. She turned to him, her body language screaming, tension and unease that Daiki had picked up on earlier. "I need you to understand Daiki-chan. To understand what you're about to embark on."
She stood over him, her muscles spasming in barely controlled rage and she spoke in an angry whisper. "To say that she's a raging psychopathic bitch, willing to sacrifice everyone and anything on the stone altar of Ochagakure would be an extreme understatement. She views everyone around her as tools, to be used and abused. When I heard that freak had taken you and Rin on, I was ready to march to war!"
Nee-chan started steaming. Her shoulder length hair frizzing up from the forge of heat bellowing from her. Daiki backed away from her, afraid that he was about to be parboiled. "When I confronted that miserable sack of puss of a village council, they backuped that ice queen. That the work she would be doing was for the 'continuation of the village' and part of 'our most important goals'. By Kaguya's sagging tits, if you think that monstrosity will help us by being the hammer that keeps our village standing, think again! She'll be the shovel that spills the dirt into our grave!"
Daiki was backed up into a tree at this point. His eyes had gone as wide as a dinner plate, with his heart skipping beats every other beat thinking about being parboiled by his sister. As the very air around his sister had flashed vaporized. A sauna in the open air. He had to do something before she flash-fired the whole bamboo forest.
"Nee-chan, you shouldn't worry then!" Daiki tried to reassure, "Me and Rin-san are the two village fuckups. I doubt anything we could do would impact the village."
His sister looked at him. Two chunks of burning embers of eyes looked at him in askance. Like he had missed something important. Like forgetting to put on pants. Or pissing in Chamei's flower beds. Then the tension in the air disappeared. The heat stopped radiating from his sister.
"In that you're wrong Daiki-chan." His sister said, affixing her mask back on to his face, "What you're joining will help decide the fate of the village. As much as I hate the council, detest their decisions. Wish more than anything that they are wrong. Even I can see the cold hard logic of their decision."
"What are you talking about, nee-chan?" Daiki asked, his feet carrying him back to the trail.
"That monster you were looking for?" His sister said, turning her back to him. "And that little girl you mentioned?" There was a dangerous glint in her chakra. "Are one and the same."
"Ok... " Daiki trailed off. "What does that mean for us?"
Nee-chan turned her head, "You better start running. You're running late. Quite literally..."
Land of Tea… Ouza Island… Nakayama Estate… Morning...
Rin stood in the gathering glow of the morning sun, in the grassy courtyard of the ruined estate. His hands clasped behind his back, his back as straight as it could be and his shoulders even. His gut pressed in and his chest puffed out. His head aligned with the rest of the body and his eyes pointed forward. The very quintessential positioning of an attentive student. As if there was anyone here to notice.
He was alone.
This didn't bother Rin. He knew that Midori sensei was probably watching from the shadows or transformed into a plant. The Chamei were quite adept at transforming themselves into plants or blending their bodies into the surrounding foliage. Made them expert stealth specialists, when they weren't serving upmarketed tea to every idiot with a money purse big enough to pay them.
His friend Yuduru Daiki was late. That wasn't a surprise in the least, as far Rin was concerned. Daiki had never arrived on time to anything in his life. Hell, he missed his due date by 3 weeks so comfortable he was in mother's womb, so the story went. Or maybe even as a fetus in his mother's wound, he knew he was a failure. What better way to hide than stay in.
Unfortunately, Rin had no such luxuries. Merely a single chance. A chance to be a student under the widely famed, 'Contagion of Tea', Chamei Midori. She was one of the most if not most respected Ochagakure combat ninja throughout the known world. Earning her moniker for her actions at Iwa Gan. Where she blunted and then routed an entire kiri raiding squadron that had been a scourge on eastern shores of the Land of Fire and Tea respectively. To study under her was a blessing that the sage was guiding him toward a most honored and worthwhile fate.
Hearing footsteps from behind him, Rin shook him from his thoughts, and was about to give his friend a shout when turning his head he realized it was not his tall pale pink hair friend, but the irritated visage of the little girl he had seen yesterday. Up close she was bigger and older than she thought she was, at first he thought she was six or seven. Closer examination showed she was at least nine, if not older.
She was also wearing a strange set of clothes. An aquamarine cotton tunic tapered down just above her knees. Silk kunoichi shorts and knee pads were evident on her legs as she walked. Unlike the sandals that were all the rage, she had a sturdy pair of black leather boots with matching fingerless gloves. Her light brown hair was done in a wavy, frizzy bob complimenting her looks, Rin thought.
His heart started racing a little bit faster and there were butterflies in his stomach as he watched her march to her assigned position. She had none of the poise of kunoichi nor the sturdiness of a samurai. Yet there was something dangerous glinting in those near black eyes. Way she examined the environment was too obvious of a fashion. Like a chained beast examining the bars to its cage or it's collar at its neck, just before it escaped.
He stood even straighter as she raked him over with her pretty black eyes. Something hurt inside of him when she merely scrowled and sat down, waiting for their sensei to arrive, Rin assumed. Within a few minutes, he saw his familiar idiotic friend rocket into the compound fleeing from his freakishly tall and fast ANBU sister. His typical black shorts and turquoise sweater was a blur as he tried to jump across the compound's walls. Daiki's sister though easily got him. Pouncing and grappling onto him mid-air. She then used his body and face as a landing pad to cushion their landing. Just before they landed though, she front flipped off of Daiki and landed in front of them in a three point landing.
Impressive. Rin thought, hearing the moans of pain from idiotic friend and examing the ANBU equipment of Yuduru Hotaru, The Tea's Kettle, for the first time. Most of the armor sans cloak on a glance looked like Kono's ANBU, internationally recognized as ROOT, combat armor. He had seen armor in various old Kono propaganda posters that filtered its way to Ochagakure, on the backs of clients and merchants. Though the difference being, Ochagakure's take on the armor was different. He saw that it was re-gilded and painted teal and black, with additional armored plates on the sides and forearms. Unlike the matte and plain armor in the photoshots, this armor had various fuinjutsu markings and seals carefully blended into the paintjob. Likely making the armor be both multi-functional and tougher than that of even super-heavy samurai armor.
Of course, that was what he could see, Rin thought. Considering I'm still a genin, most of those markings could be misdirection, fakes or double bluffs. Deception, misdirection and surprise are the hallmarks of a good shinobi. The rest of the equipment looked fairly plain and ordinarily. With various tools and accessories on a utility belt, a tanto equipped to her back, a plain sand colored cloak and a geometric facemask.
Turning his head, he found the girl glaring at Daiki's sister. He could swear that he felt a shiver that passed through his vertebrae just catching a glimpse of that glare. Daiki's sister on the other hand looked completely relaxed, examining the girl herself. Rin was beginning to suspect that there was something different, dangerous about this girl. And logically that he would mostly like to be teammates to her as well, given the setup. Maybe this wasn't a chance after all...
With a puff of smoke, his new sensei appeared wearing standard ochagakure jonin wardrobe; black cargo pants matched with a teal ninja vest and padded grey gambeson. With her black and green hair, pulled back into a series of intricate pony tails. Midori sensei cast a look onto all of them. Lingering for a moment on the still collapsed Daiki, before gazing on Hotaru.
"Hotaru-san, it's been too long. How are your duties at the court of his grace, Kojiki Katsuo of Cha no Kuni?" Midori sensei politely asked with a noticeable edge to her voice.
"They've been free of hassles, Mido-pig. Not that you need to ask considering your other duties." Daiki's sister pointed her masked face in the direction of Midori sensei.
"I asked for politeness sake, Hotaru-san. A skill well known in cultured circles." Midori sensei pointed out.
Hotaru merely shrugged. "Kojiki Katsuo favors my emotional and blunt character, who says it brandishes my true character."
"A very applicable compliment that I'm delighted to hear about, Hotaru-san. Once I'm done beating my new initiates into the ground, we should have some tea this afternoon." Midori sensei said, in a voice that promised dark things. Things Rin didn't want to know as he flicked a glance between two. The courtyard filled with dense, thick killing intents as the two kunoichi fought with wordplay and chakra manipulation.
"Unfortunately, I only came to escort my idiotic brother here. I leave at once for the court." Hotaru gestured to her still prone brother.
"Yes, it is very unfortunate. I had hoped to drink more of our lovely tea together." Midori sensei said with earnest sounding sorrow.
"Last time you said it was too hot." Hotaru replied, her poise tight like a tiger about to leap.
"Last time you said it tasted bitter. Boiling tea excessively is known to drag out bitters and tannins." Midori sensei mirroring her, casting a knowing glance at the ANBU.
"Or maybe your leaves aren't able to stand up to my heat. A known weakness." Hotaru said in a voice that could murder a begger with smugness.
"Few, so very few things stand up to which, Hotaru-san. In fact, I can't think of a single thing that resists your erupting mass. It is no wonder why you are honored with the moniker, The Tea's Kettle." Midori sensei said. Her voice emphasized the ill-conceived moniker.
"Oh yes, you must feel so honored, having the moniker The Contagion of Tea, as if you're some sort of sickness. Maybe when I return to court, I shall ask after a physician." Hotaru countered.
"Oh why is that, Hotaru-san? You think you caught a disease standing here in this rotted palace? I made sure it was free of such things. " Midori sensei countered with a knowing smile, with the implications lost on Rin.
"I wouldn't say that mido-pig. I am going to ask after him about a possible cure or perhaps a vaccine. They are quite voguish in court these days, with his grace and the family getting inoculated to redpox. " Hotaru said, with a tone-booking self-assuredness.
"That would be a worthy endeavour Hotaru-san, though I would advise caution. Do not confuse diseases with poisons. Or mayhaps that'll be the last thing you'll feel." Midori sensei is not so subtly threatened.
"Sound advice, mido-pig. Or not. I can't rightly say. Still, I bid you farewell." With a puff of smoke, Daiki's sister left. Leaving the three of them with their new sensei.
Midori sensei flicked a glance to the prone body of Daiki. "Are you going to sleep all day, or were you presenting your sister with less of a target?" Midori sensei asked, in a rather sardonic tone of voice.
Daiki lifted his head off from the ground, where dirt and bruises were evident on his face after his sister's entrance. "A bit of both. Mostly though, everything hurts like hell."
Midori sensei made an audible tsk sound before rummaging through her flak jacket's pockets. Pulling out a vial filled with something green and several soldier pills, she kneeled down and deposited them in front of daiki. "I would have prefered you to be in better shape, but there is no helping one against Hotaru-san after all. The soldier pills will help what is about to come, the syrup will begin the healing process."
Daiki mumbled out thanks as he tentatively sat up, consumed the offered medicines before arriving at his assigned spot. Each spot was strangely about 2 meter from each, with their names written in NewSpeech. Rin had never seen something like that. He wondered what that was about.
When they were in their assigned spots. Daiki still groaning from the pain, Rin looking at her curiously and the little girl scowling. Midori sensei began. "Let me introduce myself for the one of you, who does not know who I am. I am Chamei Midori. Your new Jonin instructor and team leader. Over the next months, I'll be training and mentoring you to become something greater than you are now. Weapons for Ochagakure."
Midori sensei paused this, gazing at each of them in turn. "At the moment, you're nothing. Two failed genin that couldn't fight their way out of a rice paper bag filled with candy. And a little girl too angry to shut up and see reason. Thankfully, I'm going to rectify that."
Rin and Daiki frowned. He knew his fighting skills were underpar but that was an unfortunate necessity when one tries to refine one's clan techniques. Other skills fall by the wayside, Rin thought. Ki on the other hand was glaring at Midori sensei, her eye twitching what Rin imagine was anger or hurt.
"I see your skeptical looks. Let's start off with you, Ki. You told me you hate ninjas. That's fine. You can hate me. I'll even let you try to kill me." Midori sensei in the casual tone. Rin noticed the girl stop scowling, an odd or surprised look blossoming across her face.
Midori continued her barrage of words. "Don't look surprised. I know you want to. I'll even let you take the first punch. Here. Try it." Midori sensei turned her back and spread her arms wide, showing that she was unarmed and unprepared.
Ki launched herself from her position going full out, her hand sporting a rough metal shank that Rin hadn't noticed before. As Ki neared the position, Ki struck out with the shiv. Instead, in one instance Midori was gone and the next she was behind Ki. Before Ki knew what was about to happen, Midori's foot whipped out, taking the legs out behind Ki. As Ki fell to the ground, Midori snatched up the shiv that was falling from Ki's hand into one of her many pockets.
Ki lands with a smack. And silence filled the courtyard. For several moments, nobody moved or spoke. Just the huffing and puffing of Ki's out of breath inhalation could be heard. "You moved."
"Of course I moved, silly little demon child. I said I would let you take the first punch, not that I would sit still. Lie through omission. Learn it well, my little genins. When engaged with Shinjitsu, concealed, omit, exaggerate and use the very liberal interpretation of the truth. As truthsayers will slay all that lie to them." Midori sensei instructed.
Ki sat up. The front of her tunic now dirty, Rin noticed. A single eye glaring at Midori sensei. "... I hate you"
"That's fine, the so-named child Ki. I am your enemy. At-present though? You're not mine. You are but skin, bones and an attitude problem. Wish to beat me? Maybe run some laps around the compound. You are quite the slow child." Midori lanced out with her criticism. Neither hiding her contempt nor hiding her cruel assessments, Rin thought nervously.
Ki snorted, "Yeah, or maybe I'll just lay here like that pink haired boy."
Midori sensei lips curved into a mocking smile, "Ahh… I see. You don't believe my offer? Is that it?" Midori sensei laughed.
Ki eyed her strangely. "What you did to me…"
Midori sensei cut her off, "I beat you to a pulp and conscripted you, little demon child. It happens, time to time."
Ki harrumphed. "Not where I'm from."
Midori smiled, a sad but condescending smile. "You are not there anymore little demon child, are you now? You can either run or we can replay the fight we just had. Instead of going easy on you, I'll make it ten times worse than the initial fight."
Now that made Ki flinch, Rin thought. Midori-sensei continued her assault heedlessly. "It is your choice child. Run laps or fight an unwinnable fight for now, or better yet I'll make you deal."
Ki tentatively enquired, "Deal?"
Midori sensei nodded. "Deal. It will be many years yet before you'll be able to kill me, so maybe a closer goal in mind will help motivate you for the training ahead."
Midori sensei pulled several photos from one of her tactical vest pockets and handed them to Ki, who froze. "These are…"
"The ninja that killed your father? Indeed, it wasn't hard to find after you so graciously left us the details to search. While they are out of your league for now, if you cooperate and train with us. I'll let you kill them as a reward. How does that sound?"
Ki was silent before she ran off, her legs carrying her out of the courtyard to the gravel track that ran the inside cordon of the compound. Rin, truth to be told, was having a hard time following the conversation. Conscription? Enemy? Dead father? There was so much there to digest. But unfortunately he had no time to think it over before Midori sensei turned her attention to both of them.
"Now for you two." Midori sensei turning on them. "You and we…" as Midori sensei sped through a series of hand seals before a puff of smoke revealed an identical clone of Midori sensei cracking her knuckles. ".. are going to review your taijutsu, I think it's necessary after that shameful display from a couple days ago, no?" Midori sensei smiled like a hyena. Hungry, feral and knowing it was going to feed so very soon.
Rin felt his asshole clench. Daiki on other hand froze, his eyes as big as dinner plates, as he exclaimed. "I just healed!" The only answer they got was a gale mocking laughter as the midoris rushed them. As Rin fell into a defensive stance, praying to the sage that he'll live through the day.
/*A|N: Hello, whoever is reading this dribble thank you for supporting my mediocre attempts at fictional writings. Today I want to talk to you about Ochagakure, and three supporting clans. Chamei, Toki, and Yuduru. As you may have noticed the three clans are pretty much the essence of a tea ceremony. Chamei is tea, Toki is pottery, and Yuduru is boiling water. A thought I had for a few months about a minor village specializing in developing a chakra oriented team ceremony was an interesting idea that needed to be fleshed out more. This is the result. With Ochagakure known primarily for its luxurious tea ceremonies and most other activities fallen by the wayside.
I also changed the world a bit, making the hidden village system a gradual development compared to how it was in canon. With minor hidden villages popping up first, with minor clans consolidating around either a single leader or collective leadership against the threat of stronger clans. By the time Senju Hashirama had started building Konoha from the foundations of a dozen stronger clans and many smaller hidden villages, there were hundreds of hidden villages in the world. In the current time frame, there are less than 24. Ochagakure teetering on the edge of consolidation or elimination by surrounding big neighbors, Konohagakure and Kirigakure. Scrambling to get anything that'll keep their independence.
I wanted to thank Captain_Keyes from discord for fixing up some missing words and asking questions that have made this text far more presentable than it originally was. Incase your still reading this. If you're looking for something else to read, I recommend going over to The Remarkable Schrödinger Man by Jazz Kaufman for a very enjoyable Half Life 2 story that is both far more realistic and believable than the game in my humble opinion. Regards, TA */